Ryan Dancey -- Hasbro Cannot Deauthorize OGL

I reached out to the architect of the original Open Gaming License, former VP of Wizard of the Coast, Ryan Dancey, and asked his opinion about the current plan by WotC to 'deauthorize' the current OGL in favour of a new one.

He responded as follows:

Yeah my public opinion is that Hasbro does not have the power to deauthorize a version of the OGL. If that had been a power that we wanted to reserve for Hasbro, we would have enumerated it in the license. I am on record numerous places in email and blogs and interviews saying that the license could never be revoked.

Ryan also maintains the Open Gaming Foundation.

As has been noted previously, even WotC in its own OGL FAQ did not believe at the time that the licence could be revoked.

7. Can't Wizards of the Coast change the License in a way that I wouldn't like?

Yes, it could. However, the License already defines what will happen to content that has been previously distributed using an earlier version, in Section 9. As a result, even if Wizards made a change you disagreed with, you could continue to use an earlier, acceptable version at your option. In other words, there's no reason for Wizards to ever make a change that the community of people using the Open Gaming License would object to, because the community would just ignore the change anyway.

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[Blue]

If there's any real sign that this could potentially be applied to any other open source license agreements. . .yeah the EFF and others will get involved and Hasbro will be in for a much bigger fight than they probably expected. They were expecting to force Paizo and a few others to the table to negotiate specific license agreements, not for IBM to come knocking because they're threatening the legal underpinnings of a lot of software.

Had an IBM business partner once repeat to me a quote: "The IBM Legal Team has an unlimited budget, which they regularly exceed."

 

[wingsandsword]

I mean we have had "what if they took out the OGL" threads on here since 4e. SO no it's not that nobody thought they could it's that popular opnion was it would be hard to not possible.

We've had people ask that question, to which the consensus has always been: They can't.

The idea of rescinding it has always been a fringe theory.

The legal theory under which they're rescinding it is dubious to say the least. I seriously think this was a WotC exec telling legal to come up with ANY argument, no matter how shaky, revoking the OGL, even if they think it's a bad one or would be unlikely to hold up to a serious legal challenge.

 

[bedir than]

if you post mechanics online you are technically under the OGL

If this is true then every website and podcast right now is in violation, as they don't have the OGL printed in full on it.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

It's entirely reasonable to suppose that WotC may go after fan sites in addition to Paizo, Kickstarter, dtrpg, etc.

no it isn't. That is not at all reasonable. It still would not be a reasonable fear if it happened.

When I was 7 I had to get on my first airplane ride. I was scared and the main 2 fears I voiced was "What if the engines shut down and we crash or what if terrorist take over the plane" I was 7, and those were unreasonable fears.

When I was in my mid 20s hijackers DID take over 4 airplanes in the US aire space and caused the worst terrorist attack in US modern history... the fact that some day my unreasonable fear came true did not and would not retroactively 20 years earlier make my fear reasonable.

 

[Reynard]

If this is true then every website and podcast right now is in violation, as they don't have the OGL printed in full on it.

No. Every homebrew spell or monster is, though.

I mean, just go read the fan policy if you don't believe me.

 

[Vaalingrade]

I'm just telling you that this is settled case law.
Fan fiction isn't illegal. Twilight exists, it made billions.

Fifty Shades was the fanfic. Twilight was the original.

 

[mamba]

No. Every homebrew spell or monster is, though.

I mean, just go read the fan policy if you don't believe me.

not sure where you read that in the policy

 

[Vildara]

So what happens to existing materials? Do they just have to go in the bin? Should I start downloading everything I have on DTRPG in case they nuke the database?

 

[mamba]

So what happens to existing materials? Do they just have to go in the bin? Should I start downloading everything I have on DTRPG in case they nuke the database?

no harm in doing so, not expecting it to be necessary, but no one can tell you definitively imo

 

[Reynard]

not sure where you read that in the policy

Look under the FAQ.

Fan Content Policy | Wizards of the Coast

Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy.

company.wizards.com